Method of making rigidified slip-lasted shoes



Dec. l, 19515 J, MELTZER 2,660,743

METHOD OF MAKING RIGIDIFIED SLIP-LASTED SHOES Filed MaICh 19, 1952 3Sheets-Sheet l lzrl. 4?

INVENTOR. JACK MELTZE/Z BY@ /r/l .14,

Dec. 1, 1953 J. MELTZER METHOD oF MAKING RIGIDIFIED SLIP-LASTED sHoEs 3Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 19, 1952 INVENTOR J4C/ MEL7ZEB Dec. 1, 1953J. MELTZER 2,660,743

- METHOD OF MAKING RIGIDIFIED SLIP-LASTED SHOES Filed March 19, 1952 v 3Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Dec. 1, 1953 UNITED srgrss garant" QFEICE METHOD0F MAKING RIGIDIFIED SLIP-LASTED SHOES 3 Claims. 1

My presentinvention relates generally to shoes, and has particularreference to shoes of the socalled slip-lasted type, and to certainprocedural steps involved in their manufacture.

A general object of the invention is to provide a construction in whichit is possible simultaneously to obtain the advantages (l) of a counterwhich is not only fully rigid but which is stitched into location, and(2) of a full-length sock lining stitched to the upper throughout thefull extent of the uppers lower edge.

As is known, a stitched-in sock lining is highly desirable because it isnot susceptible to displacement and is devoid of edges which may curland thereby cause discomfort or impair the attractiveness of shoeshaving openings at the toe or elsewhere.` A rigid counter is desirablefor obvious reasons, lending staunchness and formretaining qualities tothe shoe and imparting a stylish and attractive appearance to it.Theadded advantage of stitching the counter into position lies in thefact that it is more securely held against displacement, thus avoidingpremature distortion of shoe contours and impairment of comfort.

It has been found that the simultaneous stitching in of a sock liningand of a counter presents manufacturing difficulties of great magnitude`The sharp curvatures at the end regions of the shoe, where reinforcementis most commonly called for, and the manipulations required of theoperator in properly guiding the parts to and through the sewingmachine, have made it almost impossible, from a practical standpoint, to

achieve satisfactory results, even where yieldable :.2.

counters of inferior rigidity are used. Consequently, the stitching intoposition of-a counter has usually involved not only a sacrifice in therigidity of thevcounter itself but also an impairment of the appearanceand workmanship of the finished shoe. Because of this, the employment ofa really rigid counter of leather or fibre (as distinguished fromcounters formed of impregnated buckram or the like, which are onlysemirigid and tend to lose their shape and stiffness tirely satisfactorysince they do not always fit as nicely, nor stay in place as neatly, asis desirable.

The present invention is specifically aimed toobviate these difficultiesand disadvantages.

riety of styles of shoes, slippers, sandals and.

other articles of footwear intended for either street wear or indooruse.

The invention is predicated upon a recognition of the fact that it isnot the rigidity of the counter that has made it so difficult heretoforeto incorporate it in the shoe by stitching, but the endeavor to stitchit into a sharply curved re-A gion in which the relationship of theother elements of the-shoe, especially the sock lining and lower edge ofthe upper, imposes an obstacle to` the freedom of manipulation of theparts during their passage through the sewing machine. To obviate this,I assemble the parts in such a way that direct attachment of the counterto the lower edge of the upper is entirely avoided.'l

Briefly, the construction involves a counter (preferably with no lowerflange) whose lower edge is stitched only to the lower margin of acounter cover and to the top edge of a platform wrapper,

A the counter being incorporated into the shoe, on

the exterior of the Lipper, by means of the counter cover and theplatform wrapper. A feature of the invention resides in purposelysecuring the counter cover to the upper only along mar-V gins other thanthe lower margin to which the counter is stitched, thus leaving thecounter free of direct attachment to the upper and sock lingether, theparts are appliedvto a last and the l sole structure is completed in anydesired wellknown fashion, including the application of a platform andthe covering of its edges by the platform wrapper.

The invention lends itself admirably to the reinforcement of shoes notonly in the heel region but also at the toe end, and in intermediateregions if desired. The upper can be made continuous throughout, or maybe formed of sections joined in overlapping relation or spaced apart todefine open-work. The shapes of the counters employed, and of thecounter covers and platform wrappers, can be widely varied to suitdifferent styles and purposes. And the sequence in which the severalsteps are performed may be varied in a number of respects as will bepointed out hereinafter.

Several ways of achieving the advantages of the invention areillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of an Varticle vof footwear constructed inaccordance'with the in-` vention, a part of the upper being lbroken awayto show the sock lining;

Figure 2 is an enlarged View showing how the upper of Figure 1 can bejoined to the sock lining in a preliminary operation;

Figures 3 and 4 are views of the counter unit for the heel region of theshoe, before 'and after the counter and counter cover have been moldedinto a'dhesively bonded relation; y

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the molded counter unit for the toeregion of the shoe;

Figure 6 is a longitudinal cross'esection sub'- stantially along theline 6;-6 of Figure 5;

Figure '7 is a View showing how the platform wrapper of Figure 1 'can bejoined to the counter units shown in Figures 4 and 5;

Figure v8 is a crosse-sectional view substantially along the line 8 8 ofFigure 7;

Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view substantially along the line 9-9 ofFigure 7;

Figure 10 is a vi'ewhshowing a vstep in the joining of the sub-assemblyof Figure 7 to the sub assembly of Figure '2;

Figures 11 and 12 are longitudinal cross-sectional views of Figure 1()at the toe and heel ends respectively;

Figure 13 is a View similar to Figure 10, on a reduced scale, of the'parts completely joined together and ready for application to a last;

Figure 14 is an enlarged crossesection oh the line lll-1 4 of Figure 13;

Figure 15 is 'a longitudinal cross-sectional view, partly broken forcompactness of illustration, of the finished construction after the solestructure has been completed on the last;

Figure 16 is a plan view of a modified counter unit for the heel regionof a shoe, prior to mold- 111e;

Figure 17 is 'a perspective View of this unit, afterth counter andcounter cover have been molded into a bonded unit and after the platformwrapper has been stitched thereto;

Figure `1S is an elevational view of the rear end of one type of shoe inwhich the assembly of Figure 17 may be employed;

Figure 19 is a fragmentary cross-section along the line I9-I9 of Figure18;

Figure 20 is a longitudinal cross-section subfstantially along the line20- 20 of Figure 19;

Figure 2l is a View similar to Figure 20 showing a modification;

Figure 22 is a cross-sectional view of the heel counter unit shown inFigure 4;

Figure 23 is a perspective view similar to Figure 4, showing a heelcounter unit of modified design;

Figure 24 is a cross-sectional View along the line 24-24 of Figure 23;

Figure 25 is a view similar to Figure 24 showing a possiblemodification;

Figures 26 and 27 are views similar to Figure 18, showing the heelregions of other styles with which the invention may be employed;

Figure 28 is a fragmentary cross-section on the line 28-26 of Figure 26;

Figure 29 is a fragmentary cross-section on the line 29-29 lof Figure27; y,

Figure 30 is a view similar to Figi-tires 18, 26 and 27 showng the heelregion of a shoe style employing the counter unit of Figure 23;

Figure 31 is an elevational View of the front end of a modified shoestyle with which the invention in'ay be employed; and

Figure 32 is a cross-sectional view along the line 32--32 of Figure 31.

The article of footwear depicted in Figure 1 has an upper 40, a socklining 4|, a heel reinforcement or counter covered by the counter cover42, a toe reinforcement or counter covered by the counter cover i3, 'aplatform whose edge is covered by the platform Iwrapper M, and .an outersole E35. For the sake of simplicity, the upf` per has been shown as asingle uninterrupted element, Tout the invention is notrestrictedto thisor any other particular style of upper. 'Nor is it restricted to theparticular shapes or styles of counter covers and platform shown in thisfigure. n Y I One way of forming the shoe 'of Figure 1 is il'- lustratedin Figures 2-15.

Figure 2 shows how the upper 4U may be joined to the sock lining in a.separate preliminary operation. The sock lining extends the full lengthof the shoe and its edge is stitched at it to me upper throughout thefull extent of the uppers lower edge. 4

Figures 3 and 4 show the counter 'unit employed in the heel region. Thepractice of the invention imposes no restrictions or limitations uponthe selection of the counter material, hence any dee sired material maybe used. I prefer to form the counter li'of a material Vof high duality,suchas leather or nbre, rnoldable to the 'saine permanent state ofcomplete rigidity as that of the convene tional hard counters heretoforeregularlyused as separate insertstted loosely 'into counter pocketsspecially provided for the purpose. The 'mar-'- ginal regions of thecounter lmay be skived or tapered, if desired, although this is notessential. Sometimes it is preferable to skive one or more margins andto leave others of normal thickness. In any case, the practice of theinvention imposes no necessity for thinning any of the margins of thecounter merely to facilitate stitching opera'-v tion's. For this reason,and also to simplify the disclosure, no skiving of counters has been'shown in any of the figures. Y

For a heel reinforcement of the shown in Figure 1, the counter 47 mayhave a substantially trapezoidal shape, as indicated in Figure 3. Thecounter cover 2 is larger in area than the counter 41 but its lower edgeis preferably even with the lower edge of the counter. The cover iscomposed of a material that'is relatively soft and limp, such as leatheror fabric. Since it will be eiiposed on the outside of the finishedshoe, a large variety of materials are suitable, and the choice willdepend upon the ornamental eiect desired.

In the construction illustrated, the shape of v the cover 42 issubstantially the same as that of'.

ltend only slightly beyond the corresponding edges of the counter. It isby no means essential, however, that the shapes of the counter and ofits cover be similar, and the cover may have a configuration quitedifferent from that of the counter, with its margins extendingconsiderably beyond those of the counter. Under certain circumstances(e. g., when the top edge of the cover is engaged by a binding orcollar) the top edges of the counter and counter cover may be even witheach other.

By employment of heat and pressure, and other procedures and apparatusWell known per se, the counter and cover are molded to the appropriatedesired curvature, as shown in Figure 4, and are at the same timeadhesively bonded together into the form of a single unit.

In accordance with my invention, .the lower edge of the counter unit issecured, by stitches 48 (Figure 7) to the top edge of the platformwrapper 44 which is laid rig ht-side down upon the convex face of thecounter unit. Regardless of whether the lower edges of the counter andcounter cover are even with each other, as shown in the presentdrawings, the stitches 48 pass through the counter as well as throughthe cover. They preferably terminate short of the side edges of thecover 42, for a purpose presently to be explained.

In the shoe illustrated, there is a counter also at the toe end,although it will be understood that the use of a counter at one or theother end of the shoe, or both, or in any intermediate region, is amatter or choice and depends upon the style and purpose to be achieved.Where the toe counter is to have the general shape indicated in Figurel, s.'

a unit such as that shown in Figures 5 and 6 may be preliminarilyformed. Here, too, no limitation upon material selection is imposed bythe invention, hence any desired counter, material, such as leather,fibre, or equivalent substance, may be used. The counter 5| is in thiscase of` appropriate initial shape and final curvature for use at thetoe, and it is adhesively bonded to the cover 43 in accordance withprocedures hereinbefore referred to and well known per se. The side andtop edges of the cover eXtend beyond the correspending edges of thecounter, as shown. The bottom edges of the counter and cover may bearranged even with each other, as best shown at 5D in Figure 6.

The unit of Figure 5 is also secured alongv its bottom edge to theplatform wrapper 44. This is done by means of stitches 4B which passthrough the counter as well as through the counter cover and preferablyterminate short of the side edges of the cover 43. f r 1 Where theplatform` wrapper is formed Aof a single length of material, it may beprovided in advance with positioning notches or marksv (not shown) lthatassure,4 proper. location thereon, with respect to each other, of thetwo counter units. A single platform wrapper strip 44 has been shown inthe present drawings. It extends around the entire shoe peripheryand itsends overlap,y preferably on the inner side of the shoe in the shankregion. Obviously a platform'wrapper of shorter length, or of varyingwidth, or of sectional or pieced character, may bel used if the natureorstyle of the shoe so requires.-

If counters are to be used in addition to those at the heel and toe,correspondingly constructed counter units, appropriately contoured andpreliminarily molded, are also stitched to the platform wrapper vat thisstage of the procedure', in themanner indicated inFigure '7.

Regardless of the stiffness or quality of the counter material, andrregardless of the sharp curvatures involved, neither of the stitchingoperations 48 and 43 presents any manufacturing difficulty. Sewingmachines of quite usual and' well known kind are easily able to join theparts as shown, and no particular skill is required of the operator, aswill be recognized by those familiar with shoe manufacturing techniques.

The next step is to unite the sub-assemblies of Figures 2 and 7. This isachieved in the two stages indicated in Figures l0 and 13. Each counterunit is applied to the exterior of the shoe upper in the appropriateregion, and is' secured lto the upper in any desired or suitable manner,as by stitching, lacing or gluing, or (preferably) by combined use ofthese expedients. In no event, however, is any stitched connection madeor attempted alongr the troublesome lower edge of the counter unit. Forexample, `in the construction herein illustrated, the heel counter cover42 is stitched 'to the upper 40 along its'sides and top (see Figure 10)by stitches `52. To facilitate this operation, the platform wrapper 44may use of adhesive to enhance the rm securement'..

of the counter units is optional, where stitchingor the like isemployed. In some cases, adhesive alone may be found to be sufcient.

The second stage of this phase of the process` involves stitching intoposition those parts of 'the wrapper 44 which have been left unattached.This is achieved by means of stitches 54 (Figure 13) which arecontinuations of the lines of' stitches 48 and 49 and which preferablyoverlap the latter to `a vslight degree. The degree of overlap is notcritical since there is no counter pocket involved, the counter havingbeen already stitched into its proper position. In this respect, thepresent procedure affords a distinct advantage over -that described inmy Patent No."

2,493,497, since the corresponding overlapping of stitches in that casereduces the entrance opening of the pocket into which a loose Icounteris still to be inserted.

The stitches 54 extend through Athe upper '40 and through the socklining 4I, and lie "closely adjacent to the stitches 46, as shown inFigure 14. No sewing difculties are encountered,sincethe parts involvedare relatively soft and are' readily manipulable in well known-fashionas the stitching progresses.

Thepar-ts are now ready for application to a last (not shown) and forcompletion of ythe sole structure. This may be of any desired character.

In the shoe illustrated, the final steps of manufacture involve merelythe .application of the ments or pads, shank stifening pieces, etc., maybe used wherever desirable. One of the Yadvantages of the invention liesin the fact that thev platform wrapper tsmore smoothly over the edge ofthe platform in the sharply curved rein`r` Additional ller, ele'"'forced regions oi the shoe because it :ree of direct connection with the.socle l ns those regions. f

It is te be understood that the relationships ci the parte are somewhatexaggerated and .sches matieally represented in Figure 1.5.. In actuallractice, .the parts adiust themselves into a .come pastel' relationtha-n vthat shown.

The finished shoe -'has a smooth comfortable interior devoid ofstitches, linings, counter .co-vers, or other elements whose edges orwhose wrink'ling might create discomfort. The reinforcements, whereverthey may he iocatsd, are rm, stitched into position, and long lasting.The counters employed may be .of the --nest quali-ty, and need not haveflanges at their Alower ends, `thus .el-lminatins such danses possiblesources of dis- .On the .other hand, the use of a short danse, to roundon? the bottom edse .of the counter, is not precluded if it is deemed tobe then to ioin the various sections of the upper, 1.

and then to Stilton .in the sock; lining..

The top edge of the uriner has been left -raw, es .it were, in Figures1F15- ,It Will be understood that this show-.ing is. merely for .thesake of sim;-

lelieitv of :illustration and that any usual unisa may beprovided ier.such as a turnedfin edge. a-

binding such as .a French cardine, a turned down collar or othertrimming, etc.

por a l'similar reason I have shown all the edges of the counter coversin raw State. (See Fic- 'lhls iS not objectionable where the odge is tobe concealed (as is the case, for example, with respect to the loweredge, and would be the case with respect to, the top edge Where thelatter sec/ed in or caught beneath a binding or I collar), but the case.of edges which are to he exuosed (slloh as the side edges of thecounters shown in Figures 1-15) it may be desirable to turn the edge asindicated in Figures -24 and 2Q: In the former, the edge of the cover isturned in to overlie the adjacent margin of the counter: in the latter,the edge of the cover is turned in tg Lie the plane of the counterbutnotin overA lashed to it. Depending upon the leliatel-` rial of which thecounter cover is made, this ternir-is of one or more edges may or maynot be of advantage. Where it is done, however, it is a step whichprecedes the stitching of the edge, as will be understood.

E igure 2 3 is illustrative of how the countersV and counter covers maybe varied in their rela-l tio hips to each other, In this figure I haveshown a heel counter 55 bonded into unitary re,- lat ..n to a .cover 5lwhich entends upwardly bef youd the tou elise of the counter to term asort of Deal; 58. is useful in a shoe of the style. shown ln. Figure30.V the peak 58 serving not only as an ornamental embellishment whichprojects up beyond the top edge of lShe upper but also as ald in pullingthe .shoe onto the Soot- The last-men- -The counter cover can also benaadeto terminate short .ci the ton edge .of the shea,

Such a style is shown :in Figure 2 6. in which the top edge o f thecounter cover 59 lies well below the top edge .of the upper itself.

The shoe upper, .as mentioned, ,can be'made of sections joined together.Where these sections include two which are connected along a verlE ticalseam at the rear end of the shoe, the heel counter and counter cover ofthe present invene tion may serve the additional function of concealingthis seam.

The possibility of making the upper of sections leads to anotheradvantage of the invention arising from the fact that the section oi'the upper Which is to be reinforced, hence cov ered over and concealedby the counter unit, may be made of less expensive or thinner materia-1than other exposed parts or sections oi the upper.

The sections of the upper need not necessarily beljoined to form anuninterrupted whole, nor need they necessarily be joined to each otherat all. For example, the type of shoe shown in Figure l0 of my PatentNo. 2,493,497, in which the vamp and the quarter are completelyseparated, may be constructed in accordancerwith the present invention,as will be readily understood. Gaps in the upper, whether they are `inthe sha-nk region of the shoe or elsewhere, do not preclude the practiceof the invention.

In Figure 27, the style Vis one in which the upper has a quarter 60spaced from the forward parts (not shown) and in which the quarter isextended to vdefine a strap 6l. The bonded premolded counter unit thiscasa his formed of the counter S2 and of the cover 63. The latterextends forwardly beyond the counter and cons' forms substantially tothe contours of the quarter 6G. Along the lines of stitching 64, whichjoin` the counter cover to the upper, the edges indy,

forwardly, as ShownZ to constitute a Section (in.

this case the quarter) of the upper of the shoe.

The parts and 67 are areas of a single initial.

blank of material, and the areal may be provided with a notch 68 adaptedto 'be seaxned.

closed as at 69 (Figure li to impart the desired. curvature to itl A Theprocedure involved .in forming the shoe ls,- substantially the same asthat .hereinbejore des scribed. The counter 65 and the cover 55 aresubjected to the Well known heat and pressure`- treatment to .mold thecounter into the come@ curvature and to bond it adhesively to the cover.

Thel lower edge of the resultant counter unit; is. then stitched to theplatform wrapper 1g by a' line of stitching 'H which passes, throughboth the counter and the counter-cover. 1n a separate operation,performed either before or after the Stitching 1|, the lower edge of thepart Blvins stitched, as at 12, to the sock lining 13. The side marginsof the counter cover 66 are then stitched' as atul, to the section orquarter 61, and then those parts of the wrapper Hll as yet unattached'are stitched to the upper and the sock lining in the correspondingregions or the shoe. Finally, the assembly is applied to a last (notshown) and the sole structure completed.

The reinforced quarter can be left standing alone (in which case theshape would probably be somewhat different from that shown), or it canbe joined in various ways to other parts of the upper. One possibility,illustrative of a variety of expedients that could be used, lies inproviding the, vamp part 14 (Figure 18) with rearwardly extendingstrap-like parts 15 which can be engaged by the stitches i9 (or byseparate stitches) and thus held in sandwiched position between thequarter 91 and the counter cover 69.

The construction of Figures 16-20 can obviously be modified, if itshould prove desirable or advantageous to do so, by joining the parts bymeans of a seam instead of forming them as areas of a single piece. Thisis indicated in Figure 21 which corresponds in every respect to Figureexcept that the counter cover 69 is joined to the upper section 6l'along the top edge by means of an inturned Seam, as shown.

Figure 31 shows the forward end of a shoe in which the upper is formedof sections one of which is at the toe end and is spaced from theadjacent one. The section 'H is reinforced by a counter unit whichoverlies it and has substantially the same shape. The counter unitconsists of the counter 18 and the counter cover 79, these parts beingadhesively bonded into a unit in the manner hereinbefore described. Thelower edge of the unit is stitched to the wrapper `Si), and the side andtop edges of the cover 'I9 are stitched, as at 8|, to the upper elementor section '51. I have illustratively shown an adjacent section 82 ofthe upper, in the form of a strap-like element extending across theshoe, joined in any desired manner to the top edge portion of thesection 77.

In other styles (not shown) the section 11 might extend upwardly andrearwardly to a greater degree, engaging with two or more straplikesections of the upper, or contoured in a variety of ways. In any suchcase, the construction shown would apply, and the same procedure couldbe followed, the only diiierence being that the counter cover 19 wouldprobably be extended upwardly beyond the upper edge of the counter, in amanner similar to that described in connection with Figure 27.

The type of counter unit shown in Figure 16 could obviously be employedin the toe region, or

10 elsewhere, by simply modifying its contours and curvatures.

In general, it will be apparent that the advantages of the invention maybe achieved in an almost innumerable variety of styles, and for thisreason many of the details herein described and illustrated are merelyillustrative, as will be understood.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what Icla-iin as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In the process of making a slip-lasted shoe rigidined in at least oneof its sharply curved end regions, the steps which consist in stitchinga fulllength sock lining to an upper throughout the full extent of theuppers lower edge, separately stitching the lower edge of a rigidcounter of appropriate relatively sharp curvature to the lower margin oia counter cover and to the top edge of a platform wrapper, appiying thecounter to the exterior of the upper, securing the counterl cover to theupper only along margins other than said lower margin so that the loweredge of the counter is left free of direct attachment to the lower edgeof the upper, then force lasting the assembly and while it is on saidlast applying a platform and covering its edge with said platformwrapper.

2. The procedural steps dened in claim l, in which the upper is formedof sections, and in which the counter cover and section of the upperwhich it is intended to overlie are joined together along their topedges prior to the assembly of the sections of the upper into nalstitched relation to the sock lining.

3. The procedural steps deiined in claim 2, in which the counter coverand the section of the upper which it is intended to overlie are formedof a single element of material.

JACK WLTZER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 640,900 Gordon Jan. 9, 1900 2,277,770 MacDonald Mar. 3l, 19422,391,445 Cohen Dec, 25, 1945 2,404,587 Maling July 23, 1946 2,493,497Meltzer Jan. 3, 1950 2,495,590 Meltzer Jan. 24, 1950 2,514,057 HerlihyJuly 4, 1950 2,520,301 Ayers Aug. 29, 1950 2,580,037 Meltzer Dec. 25,1951 2,584,276 Lisbon et al. Feb. 5, 1952

